Lucy Bligh
Lucy Bligh Lucy Bligh was born the eldest daughter and heir of Gilbert Bligh, the sixth king and eighth ruler of the Whitefen. Although Gilbert's teachings and sense of responsibility made a lasting impression on her, Lucy's earliest memories are dominated by her grandmother Edwina, who ruled in her own right for thirty-six years. After her grandmother's death, most of Lucy's time was spent studying with her father and training with the master at arms, in preparation for the day when she would become the third queen and ninth ruler of the Whitefen. She was given her first command at sixteen, and frequently assisted in quelling border skirmishes. During the exodus, she served Genserik as one of his lieutenants. She participated in war councils, and was the field commander of Genserik’s companion cavalry. After the Condarrians were incorporated into the Empire, Lucy was assigned to Station Five in Province 32 . She earned her promotion to captain soon after. Influences Edwina Bligh : Though she was already in her fifties when Lucy knew her, Edwina Bligh was an indomitable figure in the Bligh family, and indeed throughout the entire Whitefen. Her lively stories of past battles won and lost inspired Lucy early on to pick up the sword herself, and to follow in her grandmother's footsteps. Gilbert Bligh : Both as her father and her king, Gilbert Bligh's influence on Lucy has always been significant. It was from him that she learned her values, and gained the sense of responsibility towards ones people that runs so deep within her. Jacobus Caspar : The son of a powerful neighbor, Jacobus Caspar, or "Jack" as he was commonly called, was one of Lucy's closest childhood friends. His love of merriment and adventure often led them into trouble, where it usually fell to Lucy to get them out again. Younger brother's death : Lucy's little brother Milo died when she was fifteen. The boy was only five years old, but had been a favorite of hers since birth. Howard Conway : The master at arms at Castle Bligh, Howard Conway was an integral part of Lucy's early years. His relentless training regimen and strict sense of discipline did much to shape who Lucy is today. The Exodus : The effect of the invasion of her homeland and the displacement of her people cannot be understated. It is a shared scar that bind the Condarrians together in a way that no warlord or king was ever able to do. Leaving the Whitefen :: Though it was just one of many blows suffered during the exodus, her father's decision to gather his people and abandon the Whitefen is the one that Lucy feels most acutely. She is still struggling to deal with the ramifications of that decision, and its impact on her and her place in the world. Genserik's surrender : The surrender after the battle of Corbine Fields forced Lucy to fully confront her altered position for the first time. In keeping with what she thought her father would want, she chose to let the people of the Whitefen be scattered throughout the Empire, thinking that they would be safest that way. Doing so meant accepting the terms offered to her, and instead of stepping into the role of queen that she had been raised for, Lucy instead became a mere lieutenant in the auxiliary forces. Phillipa : Though her introduction to Phillipa as both a god and a concept is one that happened over the course of several weeks, Lucy most directly associates it with her time spent at Hangenden Baum Castle. Confronting the many-mouthed monstrosities in the keep there taught her true fear - and for the first time, she understood what it meant to really have courage.